1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to vehicle alarm systems and more particularly pertains to a new side mirror retracting vehicle alarm system for automatically retracting side mirrors of a vehicle while the alarm system is activated.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of vehicle alarm systems is known in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 5,008,603 discloses an electrically foldable rearview mirror interlocked with door locks and associated with the ignition system of the vehicle. U.S. Pat. No. 5,543,776 issued Aug. 6, 1996, to L'esperance et al. describes a vehicle security system without any suggestion for operational coupling to retracting side mirrors. U.S. Pat. No. 4,786,156 issued Nov. 22, 1988, to Kotani et al. discloses mechanical structure for a retractable side mirror wherein the motor is controlled by a remote control within the vehicle. U.S. Pat. No. 4,657,362 issued Apr. 14, 1987, to Suzuki discloses another mechanical configuration for a retractable side mirror. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 2002/0105740 by Yamaguchi published Aug. 8, 2002, discloses an electrically powered retractable door mirror without any suggestion whatsoever regarding what triggers the control circuit of the motor.
Additional prior art showing various retractable mirror configurations include U.S. Pat. No. 5,640,281 issued to Cho on Jun. 17, 1997; U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,755 issued to Duroux et al. on Aug. 29, 2000; U.S. Pat. No. 6,416,193 issued to Hirano on Jul. 9, 2002; U.S. Pat. No. 6,267,480 issued to Hirano et al. on Jul. 31, 2001; U.S. Pat. No. 4,818,090 issued to Righi on Apr. 4, 1989; U.S. Pat. No. 4,286,840 issued to Covert on Sep. 1, 1981; U.S. Pat. No. 4,998,812 issued to Huo on Mar. 12, 1991; U.S. Pat. No. 4,758,078 issued to Bracamonte on Jul. 19, 1988; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 2002/0135905 by Yoshida published on Sep. 26, 2002.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, they do not promote the automatic retraction of side mirrors associated with an alarm system.
Manual retraction of side mirrors is often forgotten or may be decided against because of the inconvenience of having to lean to an opposite side of the vehicle or having to walk around to each side of the vehicle to perform the manual retraction. Automated side mirror retraction associated with deactivation of a vehicle engine prevents use of the side mirrors when such use may still be desired. Automated side mirror retraction unassociated with any other action or activity may be unpalatable to vehicle owners as it provides an additional separate task that must be performed. Further, unassociated retraction may be forgotten entirely. When extension of the side mirrors to a use position is not performed prior to starting and moving in a vehicle, a dangerous situation is created. Attempting to extend the side mirrors while simultaneously attempting to operate the vehicle is a potentially dangerous distraction from the responsibilities of safe driving, particularly if extension of the side mirrors is not automated.
There are advantages to retracting side mirrors while a vehicle is unattended. These advantages include providing a more compact profile inhibiting accidental damage to extended side mirrors and discouraging vandalism to the side mirrors of the vehicle. However, use of the side mirrors may still be desired while the vehicle is parked and the engine is turned off. For example, a driver may use a side mirror to monitor a doorway while waiting in the parked vehicle for another person while they are shopping. Thus, automatic retraction of the side mirrors upon shutting off the vehicle engine is undesirable as it requires a driver in this situation to keep the engine activated while the vehicle is not in motion for a potentially extended time, thus wasting fuel and needlessly contributing to atmospheric pollution.
An additional aspect of the present invention provides visual indication that an alarm system has been improperly deactivated. By extending the side mirrors only in response to authorized deactivation of the alarm system, vehicles moving with retracted side mirrors may provide an indication that the vehicle may have been stolen or is being used without authorization from the owner of the vehicle.